Dog possibly from Kingston area abandoned 80 miles away

A dog that might have a connection to the Kingston area was abandoned alongside a road some 80 miles away, an animal control officer in Delaware County said on Saturday.

The male dog, a dark brindle Mastiff, was left in the town of Franklin, about 10 miles south of Oneonta, on Tuesday, Julia VanSteenburg said. Food and water dishes were left with the animal, helping the inquisitive officer track his possible origin to the Kingston area.

VanSteenburg also brought the matter to the attention of state police, who now are trying to find the owner, she said,

Advertisement

"I found him on Frank Slawson Road, about 1,000 feet off of (state) Route 28, on Friday," said VanSteenburg, the animal control officer for the towns of Franklin, Unadilla and Sidney. "He growled at me at first, but he warmed up quickly. He's not neutered, and he had no collar or ID tags. He just stayed on the road like he expected whoever brought him there was coming back to get him."

VanSteenburg said she noticed the food dish had a sticker from the Marshall's Department Store chain and that when she checked the Internet for the nearest Marshall's, she found the one at Kings Mall in the town of Ulster.

"I gave it a shot and called there, and when I read the (UPC) price code to the employee, he said it was definitely from their store," VanSteenburg said. "I figured maybe it was somebody from the Kingston area that travels up this way. It's sad because he's a beautiful dog."

VanSteenburg said she left a message with the Ulster County SPCA but had not heard back as of Saturday.

The dog, whose age VanSteenbug did not estimate, was taken to the Delaware Valley Humane Society in Sidney, where he will remain and could be put up for adoption.

VanSteenburg said she contacted state police in Sidney because the matter is an abandonment/animal cruelty case.

A trooper at the Sidney barracks had no further information on Saturday.

Anyone with information about the dog or its owner is asked to call the state police in Sidney at (607) 561-7400.